It’s Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten to fifteen sentences designed to reel you and leave you screaming for more!
When we left Blade last week, he was being taken from his cell to be processed for release. But Blade is home on medical leave (or AWOL) and suffering from PTSD. To calm the violent rage boiling inside him and prevent himself from giving in to his training, he’s been mentally running down all the actions he would take if he needed to break free. He was doing well until he noticed the guard in the security cage had an NS-10 energy rifle.
***
The power cell from his guard’s com-set would provide enough of a charge to open the cage. Control the barrel. Rifle butt to the face. Take the weapon.
The secured door ahead of them buzzed open.
The man in the cage nodded to them as they passed.
The guard dragged him to a halt in front of a secured counter at the far end of the hall.
Blade dabbed his brow with his shirt sleeve. His heart pounded in his chest.
He hadn’t broken free from his restraints, nor had he killed anyone.
That was a good sign.
***
That’s where the natural break was. I hope you enjoyed this teeny peek. Come back next week to find out what happens once Blade begins the process of re-entering civilization. While you’re waiting, I’m still busy with BARRON’S LAST STAND. If you’re interested in reading more about Blade, you can pick up your ebook copies of SOVRAN’S PAWN and HERO’S END for Nook and Kindle at Amazon or Barnes & Noble or you can follow the links to the right over there.
If you’d like to read a sneak peek at BARRON’S LAST STAND you can find the first chapter at the end of HERO’S END and here on my website.
Also, in a personal note, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an affliction that hits close to home. With three family members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan I have seen first hand that it is something very real, and very much an unending nightmare for the men and women returning from war. There is a reason combat vets have that 1,000 yard stare.
If you know someone who suffers from PTSD, I urge you to support them and encourage them however you can. They will not be the same person they were before they went into hell on earth. They won’t want to talk about the evils they’ve seen and done. Sometimes having someone be there without judgment is all they ask.
There are many support groups for veterans and their families. Personally I support the Wounded Warrior Project. For more information on the Combat Stress Recovery Program, follow the link to their web site.
Other helpful links:
www.ptsdsupport.net/
Gotta Name My Blog 
A good sequence – and a very effective last line.
Thank you, Peter. I appreciate that.
Just a little longer, Blade. You can do it.
It’s all downhill from here.
Let’s hope they don’t walk him passed the armory while they’re on the way out! Here’s our collection of edged weapons we keep on display. Always a good read, following Blade along, and your thoughts on PTSD.
Aww, I’m sure he’d appreciate a tour of the armory. Thanks for sticking with us.
Excellent brief description of his emotional state.
Thank you.
Definitely a good sign that he hasn’t killed anyone yet. I think he might have a chance of making it through this…
Kind of takes away some of the tension knowing that he pops up in stories set many years after this, huh?